Inslee joins governors of New York, California to form U.S. Climate Alliance

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Three Democratic governors say they won’t let the United States back away from the global commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions despite President Donald Trump withdrawing from an international pact.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee joined Jerry Brown of California and Andrew Cuomo of New York to form the U.S. Climate Alliance to uphold the Paris climate agreement. Their announcement Thursday came just after Trump’s formal declaration that he intended to remove the U.S. from the deal.

“I am proud to stand with other governors as we make sure that the inaction in D.C. is met by an equal force of action from the states,” Inslee said in a statement. “Today’s announcement by the president leaves the full responsibility of climate action on states and cities throughout our nation. While the president’s actions are a shameful rebuke to the work needed to protect our planet for our children and grandchildren, states have been and will continue to step up.”

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The governors say they're committed to reducing U.S. emissions by 26 to 28 percent from 2005 levels. They're urging other states to join.

Brown has made climate change one of his legacy issues and is calling Trump's decision to withdraw from the agreement "deviant behavior from the highest office in the land."